A wild ride is on its way for Marvel fans.We're finally getting to see Captain Marvel's origins and just how powerful she is. And in two short months, we'll see Avengers: Endgame hit the big screen. The latter has many fans waiting (or dreading) to see how the Avengers' storyline wraps, with some probably hoping Thanos gets what's coming to him after decimating half of all life in the galaxy.If you're anything like us here at CNET, you're counting down the seconds until you can see how it all concludes, so this is something to help pass that time in between Captain Marvel and Endgame.Forming our own super team with GameSpot, TV Guide, TechRepublic, ZDNet, we're curious to see just how big of Marvel fans our readers are. Maybe you own a replica of Cap's shield. Or your very own Spidey-suit. Even a homemade collection of your own Infinity Stones. Anything under the Marvel umbrella, we want to see it. So don't be shy! Whether it's pictures of your comic book collection, action … [Read more...] about Calling all Marvel fans: We want to see your fandom collection!

The original Google Pixel XL debuted just about two years ago, earning mostly raves but firmly establishing itself in the premium-phone category: Its retail price then was $769.Smash-cut to today: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon has refurbished unlocked Google Pixel XL (32GB) for $159.99. Aren't you glad you waited?See it at AmazonThat model features a 5.5-inch screen -- hardly "XL" by today's standards, but still reasonably big. If you prefer something smaller, Amazon also has the refurbished unlocked Google Pixel (32GB) for $159.95. That model: 5-inch screen.See it at AmazonTake note that these deals are for the phone only: You get a USB-C cable, but no other accessories. As for the warranty, Google covers you for 90 days (according to the accompanying warranty PDF), but Amazon proper offers a 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee.Also, these are GSM models, so they'll work with AT&T, T-Mobile and the smaller carriers that use their networks (such as Cricket … [Read more...] about Get a refurbished first-generation unlocked Google Pixel XL for $160

Ken Block kicked off his “Cossie World Tour” at the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri, though it didn't go the way Block wanted with his less-than-tested Ford Escort Cosworth having engine troubles on stage -- forcing the Gymkhana star to retire from the race. Block seems to take the engine failure in stride and spends the rest of the 16-minute video above following the rally as a spectator, cheering on his wife Lucy Block as she completed the whole rally. Car Life Ken Block's rally chase van is almost as cool as the 'Cossie' While the main news coming out of Ken Block’s camp lately has been about his second Escort Cosworth rally car -- the first one burned down -- he’s also been quietly upfitting a ... While Block couldn’t finish the race, the new Escort Cosworth looked like it was performing well -- with Block hovering around fourth place right before the car’s untimely failure. Even though Block was out of the race, his … [Read more...] about Ken Block struggles at the 100 Acre Wood Rally

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Facebook announced the Oculus Rift S, a new version of the PC-connected Oculus Rift that adds self-contained tracking, a higher-res display and a new design. But the company also introduced the Oculus Quest, a totally new standalone, self-contained mobile VR system that's going to arrive at the very same time… for the very same price. Both models will cost $399, which converts to about £300 or AU$560.It's an unusual situation. I've played with both for a few hours and it's clear that Oculus is slowly converging its mobile and PC VR into one. But it's doing it with two headsets at once.I've tried them both. Let me explain. Now playing: Watch this: First look at Oculus Quest and Oculus Rift S 3:16 Same self-contained camera-tracking systemThe Oculus Rift S has a familiar-looking design, shifting more to a PlayStation VR-like look and feel. A headband holds the slightly heavier headset in place and a … [Read more...] about Hands-on with Oculus Rift S and Oculus Quest: What’s the difference?

Scientists turned to alligators, drugs and earbuds to better understand how dinosaurs might've processed sound.A paper published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience said the study focused on the gap in arrival time of sound to each ear, otherwise known as the interaural time difference. The study was authored by Catherine Carr, a biologist at the University of Maryland, and Lutz Kettler, a neuroscientist at the Technische Universität München. More reptile files A crocodile walks into an MRI scanner -- and listens to Bach Alligators will eat sharks when given the chance Yes, a bird can eat an alligator Carr and Lutz's team sedated 40 American alligators at the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana with ketamine and dexmedetomidine. Once the animals were unconscious, the scientists inserted specially fitted earbuds. They placed electrodes on the animals' heads to record auditory neural responses to the tones and clicks played over the headphones. The experiment … [Read more...] about Dinosaur researchers drugged alligators to study dino hearing